Fall 2013 Educate & Grow Scholarship Program
Priority Deadline: March 31, 2013

Purpose

The Educate and Grow Scholarship Program is designed to:

  • Increase parent/guardian involvement in the educational process.
  • Provide incentive for high school students to upgrade academic competencies while in high school.
  • Encourage eligible high school graduates to attend college.
  • Enable students to prepare for obtaining good, well-paying jobs within the region.
  • Provide an educated and well-qualified workforce.
  • Provide an incentive for young people to remain in the region.

Eligibility

To be eligible for consideration for the Educate and Grow Scholarship, an individual must:

  • Graduate as a member of the 2013 class with a standard diploma from an accredited high school or state-approved private or home school (as authorized by Tennessee law) located in the parent or court-appointed legal guardian’s residential city/county.
  • Have a custodial parent or court-appointed legal guardian who resided within Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington, or Unicoi County, or the city of Kingsport for 12 months prior to the student’s high school graduation date. Documents verifying residency may be required. An applicant is ineligible for the program if appointment of a legal guardian is for the sole purpose of qualifying the student for participation in the scholarship program.
  • Meet all Educate and Grow Scholarship Program deadlines for submission of application materials.
  • Enroll at Northeast State as a degree-seeking student in the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. (Please note: students not enrolling as degree-seeking students in the fall semester immediately following high school graduation or not meeting all program deadlines will not be eligible and may not apply for scholarship funds at any time in future semesters.)

General Scholarship Provisions

The Educate and Grow Scholarship Program is funded on an annual basis. Awards are made as reimbursements based on tuition need. Scholarship amounts depend on the number of students in the program and the availability of program funds.

  • Students must complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually.
  • Applicants are obligated to apply for all other scholarship and financial aid programs available through Northeast State.
  • Students must enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester to receive scholarship assistance during the semester.
  • Fall and spring enrollments must be complete by the last day to add a class for the full fall and/or spring term.
  • Students may receive scholarship assistance for four consecutive semesters (fall and spring). Students not maintaining continuous enrollment will not receive Educate and Grow Scholarship assistance.
  • Students are no longer eligible for Educate and Grow funding upon earning a degree from Northeast State.
  • Failure to accept or transfer other scholarships or financial aid (including the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship) will decrease the Educate and Grow Scholarship award amount.
  • Students cannot receive funding from Educate and Grow until they have completed or tested out of all Learning Support class requirements.
  • Additional fees including those associated with telecourses, Regents Online Degree Program (RODP) classes, and dropped classes are not considered when awarding Educate and Grow Scholarships.

Learning Support Requirements

ACT/SAT subscores, the COMPASS exam, and a math diagnostic test are used to determine Learning Support or college-level course placement. Visit www.NortheastState.edu/COMPASS for more information about COMPASS and the math diagnostic test.

Students placed in Learning Support courses are not eligible to receive funding from the Educate and Grow Scholarship Program until the fall or spring semester after all required Learning Support courses have been successfully completed.

Students must apply for the Educate and Grow Scholarship by March 31, 2013 to be eligible for funding in future semesters.

Eligible students removing Learning Support requirements by retesting must do so by July 1, 2013 to receive funding from the Educate and Grow Scholarship Program in the fall semester. Students reclassified after July 1 will be eligible to participate in the spring semester.

Performance/Accountability Criteria

  • Students must maintain both a semester and cumulative 2.0 GPA (including Learning Support courses and courses taken as a dual/joint enrollment student) to remain eligible for scholarship assistance. Students not maintaining a semester and cumulative 2.0 GPA at the end of any semester will not be eligible to receive Educate and Grow Scholarship Program funds during any subsequent semester.
  • Students must maintain full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) each semester and maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the college. (Please note: the hours attempted for repeating a course are counted only once).

End of 1st Semester: Earned hours required = 9. GPAs required = 2.0.

End of 2nd Semester: Earned hours required = 24. GPAs required = 2.0.

End of 3rd Semester: Earned hours required = 36. GPAs required = 2.0.

Application Procedures

The Educate and Grow Scholarship Application must be completed and hand-delivered by the March 31, 2013 priority deadline. A Northeast State Application for Admission must be submitted to the Northeast State Office of Admissions and Records. Northeast State must receive high school transcripts and ACT/SAT scores. Completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required.

To Be Completed/Submitted:

1. Educate and Grow Scholarship Application

Hand-deliver the application to room F100 of the Faculty Office Building at Northeast State by 4:30 p.m. on or before March 31, 2013.

2. Northeast State Application for Admission

Submit the application to the Office of Admissions and Records at Northeast State by March 31, 2013 if you have not already applied for admission.

3. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Applicants who have not yet applied for federal aid for 2013-2014 must submit a 2013-2014 FAFSA online (www.fafsa.gov) by July 1, 2013. To be eligible for Educate and Grow Scholarship funding, the student’s Financial Aid file must be complete. It is the applicant’s responsibility to check with the Financial Aid Office to ensure all required documentation has been submitted. Call the Financial Aid Office at 423.323.0252 if you have questions.

4. Final High School Transcript

Request that high school transcripts be sent to the Northeast State Office of Admissions and Records when you apply for admission. After graduation (and no later than July 1, 2013), a final high school transcript indicating graduation with a standard high school diploma must be received by the Northeast State Office of Admissions and Records.

5. ACT or SAT Scores

Submit official scores from the ACT Assessment or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) to the Office of Admissions and Records by March 31, 2013.

Apply for the Educate & Grow Scholarship

Please complete the Educate and Grow Scholarship Application (using black or blue ink) and hand-deliver to room F100 of the Faculty Office Building at Northeast State Community College. All application materials must be submitted by March 31, 2013 for the Fall 2013 semester.

For more information, please call the Office of Scholarship Programs at 423.354.5235.